Shoe



Nav. l0, 19:42. c, L, wlLcox 2,301,836

SHOE

Filed March 28, 1941 Zh/Danilo 2'.'

Patented Nov. 10, 1942 lUNITIEI'D STATES PATENT QFFICE y SHOE VClark L. Wilcox, Brockton, Mass., assignor. to Field and Flint Co., Brockton,A Mass., av corl poration of Massachusetts v Application Marches, 1941, serian No. 385,653

aolaims. (c1. .ee- 57)Y My invention relates to shoes, particularly lightweight shoes, ysuch as thoseordinarily desig-` nated as slippers.

The invention, which has among other objects the provision of a slipper having improved uppers, will be best understood from the following description when read in the light of the vaccompanying drawing, the scope of the invention being more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. t

In the drawing: y, I j

Fig. 1 is a plan, of a slipper according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the slipper according to Fig. 1;

FigsQS and 4 are sections on the lines33 and 44, respectively, of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 isa section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, the slipper, which, as shown, simulates a moccasin but otherwise may be of the Goodyear welt construction, comprises a sole I and insole 3. The uppers, which preferably are of flexible upper leather, comprise the fore portion or vampi and the rearportion or quarters 1, the vamp having the insert 6 to cause it to simulate a moccasin. As shown, the rear portion 1 of the uppers is made in one piece and is secured at its opposite forward edge portions to the rear edge portions of the vamp by stitches 9. The lower marginal portions of the-uppers are positioned between the sole I and the insole 3 at the heel and between theinsole and welt `(not shown) forwardly of the heel, and are secured to the sole, insole and welt in theusual manner employed in a Goodyear welt shoe, for example, as shown in applicants co-pending application, Serial No. 297,294, filed September 30, 1939, now Patent No. 2,266,697, granted De cember 30, 1941. However, the construction as relates to securing the sole, insole and uppers in assembled relation may be that employed in connection with a McKay type shoe, or, in fact, any of the usual constructions employed by shoemakers,

Slippers of the type illustrated, having relatively flexible uppers and no means, such as laces, to draw the uppers snugly about the foot, have the defect of not only fitting the feet rather poorly, but the uppers lose their shape, particularly at the rearward portion of the shoe, and become unsightly. To eliminate these defects, the present slipper comprises a novel construction, which will now be described.

At the rearward end of the uppers is secured a reinforcing layer II of flexible leather or other suitable flexible lrriaterial, portion I3 of which is placed between the lower marginal portion I5 Aof theV uppers and the sole and is secured to the insole by a row of tacks I1,

in the usual manner of connecting uppers with` the. insole at the heel portion lof the shoe. This layer II, intermedatethe` height of the shoe, is folded to forma horizontal stiffening rib or bead IS)y extending entirely across the layer, the fold being held in folded relation by a vrow of stitches 2|, while the portions of the layer II above andbelow the rib IS!v are secured to the uppers by rows of stitches` 23. Between the layer II and the uppers 1 isshown a layer of sheet material 25, the lower marginal portion of which is'secured to the insole by means of the row of tacks I1. The portion of thislayer 25 below the rib I9 is stiff and is preferably cemented to the uppers, while. the portion of the layer 25 above the rib I9 is flexible and is secured to the uppers by stitches 21. .The lower stiffened portion of the layer 25 acts in conjunction with the ribI9 to make the lower rearward endportion of the uppers stiff and form-retaining. The unstiffened portion of the layer 25 which extends above the rib I9, if desired, may be omittedbut preferably is employed toprevent the formation of a ridge on'I the inner side of the shoe at its rearward end, .which Wouldytend to occur if the portion ofy the layer above the rib` i9 were omitted. The stitches 21 act to prevent wrinkling of the unstiffened portion of this layer.

As la suitable material for the layer 25 I preferably employ a fabric of woven material such as thick cotton cloth Which'may, if desired, be of several plies, or of structureless material such as felt or matted cellulose bers, in either case the material being.impregnated with a substance capable of being treated for stiifeningiit. The material may be made by taking a sheet of the fabric and dipping it in a solution or dispersion of substance insoluble in water so as to impregnate it with the solution or dispersion. The fabric as soon as it is impregnated with the solution or dispersion may be removed from the vessel containing the latter, and then immediately and before it dries be placed in water so that the water may displace the solvent liquid and precipitate the dissolved or dispersed substance. This dissolved or dispersed substance of the impregnating solution or dispersion may, for example, be of such material as nitrocellulose, or various gums such as manila, copal, kawri, sandarac, or common resin, all of which are insoluble in water, and may be dissolved or dispersed in a Y the lower marginalV refined resin. After the liquid contents of the impregnating solution are displaced by water the substance is precipitated in substantially colloidal form throughout the interstices of the cloth, felt,

or the like. The material so treated may then be Y squeezed and dried to remove any residual liquid. Thev dried sheets above described are exible,

non-tacky and porous and may be readilycut to the desired outline, the presence of the precipii tated substance acting to-prevent raveling or the like which would otherwise occur with untreated cloth or the like were it attempted to cut and skive it. The lower portions then may bedipped in a suitable mulling liquid consisting of a solvent for the precipitated particles as, for exam-` ple, where reclaimed Celluloid is used the mulling solution may be ethyl alcohol, or a mixture of' toluoll and ethyl alcohol, and, if desired, may contain a small amount of acetone toy secure quick drying. The action of the solvent causes the finely divided precipitated particles almost ,instantly to coalesce and the dippedportion to be resolved into a. fl'accid tacky body which may be placed on the uppers while on the last so as to conform and adhere to the uppers, it being noted that the coalesced particles at the surface act as a cement for securing it to the uppers. When the lower portion of the applied layer dries it Will become non-tacky, hard and stiff land will retain the shape int'o which it has been pressed, While the upper untreated portion will remain iiexible and will not be .cemented to the uppers. After the material has dried the layer l l may be placed in position and secured to the uppers.

About the shoe opening, the portion l of the uppers is folded to the inside of the shoe, asindicated at 29, and cemented to the uppers and, to prevent any creeping of the cement, is preferably in secured and folded relation by means of a row of stitches 3l. To prevent any `stretching ofthe leather interiorly of the fold at the shoe opening, there is preferably placed a cord'33 of linen or other long fiber material to resist such stretching, the cord being cemented to the upper leather by the cement which holds the fold in place. The

fold at the shoe opening and the cord, which are substantially integrally united by the cement, extend forwardly to the rearward edge of the fore part or vamp of the uppers and are there preferably secured to the vamp by the stitches 9.

As a result of the above described construction, the lower portion of the uppers at the rearward end of the shoe is stiif, while the fold and cord at the shoe opening form a tension means operatively connecting the upper edge of the unstiffened portion at the rearward end of the shoe to the fore part or vamp of the shoe. This causes, when the shoe is worn, the upper rearward end portion of the uppers to be held in proper relation to the foot and prevents the portion 'l of the uppers from losing its shape and sagging.

It will be understood that within the scope of the appended claims wide deviations may be made from the form of the invention shown, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

.1. A slipper having, in combination, a flexible uppers portion extending around the back of the slipper, a stay of sheet material atjthe exterior side of said uppers portion confined Yto the transversely extending portion thereof at the back of the slipper, which stay has Ya lower stiff formret-aining portion of substantial width extending upwardly from the slipper bottom and terminating at the intermediate portion of the heightof the uppers along a line extending transversely of the uppers and has an upper lexiblejportion extending upwardly from said line toadja'cent the slipper opening, the lower stiff portion ofsaid stay being cemented throughout substantially its f entire extent to said uppers portion and the upper flexible portion thereof being in non-adhering relation to said uppers portion, a back s'tay 'of liexible sheet material covering the rst mentioned stay throughout the extent of the latter, saidv back stay comprisinga stiffening rib extending transversely thereof adjacent the line of separation between the stiff land flexible portions of the first mentioned stay.

2. A slipper according to claim 1 in which the flexible uppers portion comprises a sheet extending from the rearward edge of the vamp at one side of the slipper to the rearward edge of the vamp at the opposite side of the slipper, said sheet being of the height of the sides and back of the slipper rearwardly of the vamp, the slipper having, at each side thereof at the edge of the slipper opening, a tension member carried by said sheet operatively connecting to the vamp the upper edge Yof theflexible portion of the uppers at the back of the slipper above the stiff forme retaining portion of the rst mentioned stay of claim 1, which stay is at the exterior side of said sheetl and Vhas its stiff form-retaining portion cementedthereto. l i

. Y .CLARK L. WILCOX 

